


Peppermint and Tea

by Allthemfanfics



Series: 00Q [4]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Maybe this is how nttd will end, No Time To Die, Quartermaster, Sad Ending, Skyfall, Sorry q cult it had to be done, Spectre - Freeform, You might hate me by the end of this, nttd, this will not end well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allthemfanfics/pseuds/Allthemfanfics
Summary: Q smelled like peppermint and tea.James sometimes wondered if he tasted like them, too.
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Series: 00Q [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680862
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	Peppermint and Tea

Q often walked into work looking disheveled and exhausted, his hair sticking up in every direction imaginable and the dark circles under his eyes especially noticeable. His jumpers were usually covered in copious amounts of cat hair, leaving a trail of sneezing agents in his wake. But even so, even when Q looked at his worst, there was one very consistent thing about him, James noticed; Q smelled like peppermint and tea. 

It was a very particular smell, and James had taken quite a liking to it. It had become something of a comfort to him. Whenever he returned from missions, beaten down and tired as all hell, he found that as soon as he walked through the doors of Q branch and smelled the familiarness of that peppermint and tea a wave of calm washed over him and he felt... safe. 

Of course, he never told Q any of this. 

What was there even to say? It wasn't as though the double-oh could just walk up to his quartermaster and declare, _"Oh, by the way, Q, I love the way you smell... of peppermint and tea."_ The thought alone was embarrassing enough, James refused to imagine how embarrassing it would be in real life. So he kept his mouth shut and kept things as professional as they had always been between them. 

Q smelled like peppermint and tea.

James sometimes wondered if he tasted like them, too. 

He tried to push these thoughts from his mind, because there was no point in them. Q was his quartermaster--his superior, even--and being anything but professional with him could compromise them both. And they couldn't have that, not when the fate of England could very well depend on their getting along. So James pushed the thoughts away. He continued to act normally, going on missions, returning with broken or no gear, a few playful jabs at Q here and there--but that was it. That was as far as he could take it. 

No matter how badly James wondered if Q tasted like peppermint and tea. 

***

Things continued just as they always had. James had a pretty close call in Bolivia with a few rocket launchers that landed him in the hospital for about a week, during which Q came to visit him, which surprised him. Q looked tired, but he always looked tired. As he stood at James's bedside, the double-oh couldn't help but notice that smell again. That familiar smell of peppermint and tea. 

"If you ever do anything so stupid and reckless again, I'll send you out with nothing but a yo-yo and a paperclip," Q threatened, a hint of concern in his voice that James had never heard before. 

In classic James Bond fashion, he let out a small laugh and smirked. "I'll try to be more careful next time, Q," James promised. "Just for the record, though, I could still do something equally as stupid or reckless with nothing but a yo-yo and a paperclip."

His quartermaster let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I suppose you very well could." He admitted. "Just try not to." 

"Yes, Q," he said, because a good agent always did as his quartermaster ordered.

Even in his state, James couldn’t help but notice that Q smelled of peppermint and tea.

***

James couldn't stand the way every time he saw Q, there was this tight knot in his stomach. He couldn't stand the way he felt when they stood close while Q was showing James his various new pieces of tech, explaining how they worked and what they were for. He especially couldn't stand the way he felt whenever he smelled the peppermint and tea. There were times James thought that maybe Q felt the same. James thought he might have caught Q staring at him a few times, but he had never been certain. Q was very good at hiding the way he felt, or pretending that he didn't know what James was talking about when asked if he had just been staring. 

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, 007."

James knew he did. But Q never would admit to it, so James never bothered to press for more. 

Besides, he was content with the smell of peppermint and tea. 

***

There was always someone to get information from. It came with the job. James had always been aware of that, and he had never had a problem with it, either. In fact, he usually enjoyed it. But she smelled like honey and rain, and not peppermint and tea. James found the job got a bit hard after that, especially when he thought about how Q was always in his ear, always there with him... but not _with_ him. 

The double-oh did he best to focus, to forget Q and the smell of peppermint and tea. 

But when they took Q, that was all he could think about. 

It had been so sudden, so quick that no one even realized something was amiss until he was already gone. His flat looked untouched, but as soon as James saw Q's laptop and mobile sitting on the coffee table, he realized something was in fact very wrong. Q never went anywhere without his tech, not unless someone had forced him to. 

The search lasted two weeks. It was hard without Q there. The best chance they had at finding the quartermaster was with his own tech, and the best person to operate that tech was gone. So R had to take the helm and lead the search. She wasn't as experienced as the quartermaster, but she was clever and she was the best chance they had at finding him. 

***

It took much longer than any of them would have liked, but R did eventually figure out where Q was being held. She had barely finished her sentence before James was out the door, speeding down the streets of London in a desperate attempt to reach Q faster. He had been gone for two weeks, there was no telling what sort of state he would be in when James arrived. But Q was strong, stronger than he let on, stronger than maybe even he himself believed. But James knew it. 

"Just hang on a little longer, Q," He muttered to himself. "I'm almost there."

***

He wasn't sure how many people he killed. All James knew was he saw red as soon as he pulled up in front of the desolate building. He heard the screams, but they were so far away he hardly even noticed them. He heard the gunfire, but he was certain he was the only one firing; he didn't give them the chance to even reach for their guns. When all was said and done, James found Q chained to the ceiling, dangling by his wrists, his toes just barely reaching the floor. His face was covered with cuts and bruises, and the rest of his body was littered with scars and burns. They had stripped him down to his underwear, and there was hardly an inch of skin left untouched. 

He didn't smell like peppermint and tea anymore, the pungent scent of blood and sweat was too strong. 

James quickly undid the chains and slowly lowered Q to the ground, who groaned and peeled his eyes open. His hair was tangled and covered in dried blood. James pushed it out of his face, though he immediately regretted doing so as he was able to get an even better look at what they had done to his quartermaster. "J-James...?" Q muttered out with a coughing fit in tow. "H-how.. what are you doing here?" 

"I came to retrieve my quartermaster," James answered easily. "Med evac is on the way, Q, do me a favor and don't close your eyes." 

Q hummed. His right eye was practically swollen shut, but his left just barely stayed open, fixated on James. "Y-you... you r-really came..."

"Of course I did," James replied. "I still haven't gotten my exploding pen, have I?" 

"S-shut up, B-bond..."

"Sorry." James placed a hand on Q's abdomen, causing the quartermaster to wince in pain. James yanked his hand back. "Q? What is it?" He glanced down where his hand had been and noticed a sloppy stitch job popping free as blood began to pool from Q's stomach. " _Shit._ " James tugged his blazer off and immediately pressed it against the wound. "Fuck, Q, what did they do to you?"

"K-knife..."

James scoffed. "Yes, I figured that much," He replied. The panic was beginning to set in. Med evac was still ten minutes out, if James couldn't stop the bleeding, Q wouldn't survive. 

Q winced again as James pressed harder against the wound. "S-sorry..." He breathed out. "I wasn't-wasn't strong enough." 

James looked at him. "Don't be ridiculous, Q," He said. "You're one of the strongest people I know."

"Really?"

The double-oh glanced down at his blazer. It was already wet with Q's blood. There wasn't enough time. "Really." He confirmed. "You just need to hang on for me, alright?" 

"Bond-"

"They're almost here, Q, alright? I just need to stabilize this..."

"Bond-" 

"It's really not as bad as it looks-"

"James!" The double-oh looked at Q, who was smiling lopsidedly. Q grabbed his arm and sighed. "It's okay." 

James shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Q had just given him permission to let up, to let go... to let him die. He couldn't let him die, he just couldn't. There were so many things he hadn't gotten the chance to say. "Q, I-"

"I know," Q said. "Me too." 

There had always been apart of him deep down that had hoped Q felt the same way, that Q would admit it one day. He didn't think it would happen under these circumstances... He cupped Q's face as gently as he could. "I love you." Q reached up and grabbed his hand and squeezed. His breathing was quickening. Not a good sign.

"Never... never thought I would... see the day James Bond admitted to... loving me." Q smiled lazily. 

"Q..." 

The quartermaster cut him off as he used all his strength to push himself up and press his lips to James's. The kiss was soft and sweet, but James could feel his heartbreaking. He had wanted to kiss Q for so long, but he knew that while this had been the first time, it would also be the last. Q pulled away, laying his head back in James's arms and smiling. "I... love you too, you idiot." He managed. 

***

By the time med evac finally arrived, they were too late. They found James Bond sitting on the floor, holding the quartermaster's body as sobs shook him. 

James held Q close as he cried. If he had just been a few minutes earlier, perhaps then Q would have made it. Perhaps if he had told Q sooner, he could have stopped this all from happening. If he had just been quicker, everything could have been different. 

But James had been right.

Q did taste like peppermint and tea. 

**Author's Note:**

> Special apologies to Q cult.


End file.
